Ravens talk about rivalry with Steelers

EARLY BIRD: Waking up with the Ravens, before they travel to Pittsburgh for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Two-minute topic – How will the Ravens fare against three straight AFC North opponents?

The Ravens start a critical three-game stretch Sunday against the Steelers. Next week, the Ravens have their bye. Then they will play at Cleveland on Nov. 3, before hosting the Bengals on Nov. 10.

That’s three straight games against AFC North opponents, two of them on the road. If the Ravens (3-3) win at least two of their next three, they will be no worse than 5-4 heading into Week 11. They will also have a winning record against AFC North opponents.

However, if the Ravens lose two of the next three, they will be 4-5. And losing the next three games would be potentially devastating, leaving the Ravens at 4-6, with a losing record in the division. If that happened, the Ravens could probably kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

There is no guarantee that the AFC North will send two teams to the playoffs. It’s early, but either the Chiefs (6-0) or Broncos (6-0) look destined to be a wild card, leaving just one other AFC wild card spot available.

Winning the division may be the only avenue for the Ravens to make the playoffs this season. If they are going to win the division, the Ravens need to win at least two of their next three.